Penn State coach James Franklin talks the Beau Pribula package, Maryland, and more after Wednesday practice

Penn State coach James Franklin covered plenty of ground during a 10-minute news conference on Wednesday before the Lions play Maryland. The first question for the 10th-year leader of the Lions focused on the development to date of first-year transfer receiver Dante Cephas.

“I think sometimes, these transfers, it’s a little bit like junior college players,” Franklin said. “Where, typically the second half of the year, they really start to get more comfortable and come on. Or, sometimes you have the opportunity to get them for a second year and that’s really valuable. We’ve been fortunate with COVID to get some of those junior college guys for three years. But there’s value in that, obviously.

“So, he’s getting more comfortable. He’s getting more confident. This is more of a, I don’t necessarily want to speak about his last situation, but I think we put a little bit more on the guys in terms of splits, in terms of route adjustments, in terms of, just responsibilities. But, he’s gotten more and more comfortable, and more and more confident, as he’s gotten more reps and gotten more opportunities. That’s been a positive. But, that’s really the biggest thing. He shows flashes that obviously he can do some really good things. It’s about the consistency that I keep talking about.”

Question two focused on Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

Penn State practice notes: Defense

“Yeah, really good player,” Franklin said. “Obviously, statistically, he’s number one in every category at the University of Maryland. They’ve had some good quarterbacks, all the way back to Boomer Esiason and Frank Reich, and a ton of guys that have played there. Obviously, the thing that makes him challenging is his, not only decision-making as a passer and the weapons they have around him, but then also his athleticism and his quickness and his ability to improvise. Those are the things that become most challenging.

“But, whenever you got a guy that’s played as much football as he has, that’s why I think there was so much confidence with [Mike Locksley] and those guys coming into the season, and why they’re confident now, because they got a veteran, experienced, proven quarterback.”

Here is everything else the Penn State coach was asked and answered.

On the development of defensive tackle D’Von Ellies

“Well, I just think about like, when we recruited him out of out of McDonough High School, how he’s come here; he’s graduated from Penn State and done extremely well,” Franklin said. “He’s really taken advantage of the entire Penn State experience. He’s got a tremendous network of people that think very, very highly of him, whether they’re faculty on campus, whether they’re coaches, or whether that’s people that he’s been able to build relationships [with], Penn State business owners and things like that.

“And then as a football player, he’s played a ton of football here for us. He’s always been a very articulate and charismatic guy. And, he’s, earned his teammates and the coach’s trust and respect. And, then, you combine that with his intelligence and how articulate he is; he’s been a very verbal leader for us. So, I’m just really proud of him. He’s got a great family, very supportive. And, he’s one of the guys like PJ [Mustipher] that really got this thing rolling with McDonough. We’ve had a lot of guys from that high school come here and really thrive.”

On the work of Penn State graduate assistant Danny O’Brien

“Yeah, really good,” Franklin said. “I mean, obviously he played the position at a high level. You know, technically, I guess you could say in the Big Ten. Obviously, played the position in the CFL as well. Now, has worked with Mike [Yurcich] for multiple years, and understands what Mike wants. He’s worked with me or played for me for a long time. So he kind of understands what I’m looking for. And then I think he’s just done a really good job of developing relationships and trust with our quarterback room. He’s done the same thing in recruiting. He’s done a great job in recruiting.

“Mike, I don’t think would have went in the booth if he wasn’t comfortable with how Danny would operate and function on the sideline. And, we wouldn’t have done it either, unless Drew [Allar] and the quarterbacks were comfortable with it. So, I think he’s got a really bright future in the profession. And I’m very, very proud of him. He was our roommate before Frank [Leonard]. He lived over the garage. My wife finally got him out. And we thought that was going to be open for our friends to stay in again. And then Frank’s been in there too, for two years. So, that’s where we’re at.”

On the idea of playing Beau Pribula and Drew Allar at the same time

“We’ve been working on it all year,” Franklin said. “I think I’ve mentioned it a couple of different times. I think when you put Beau in the game, defensively, there’s a certain mindset of how you defend a dual-threat quarterback. Or, a lot of the stuff they’ve seen on Beau has been mainly as a, almost like a Wildcat quarterback in some ways.

“So you’re going to defend that differently than if Drew’s on the field as well. I think it just keeps people honest, with both of those guys on the field, that we can run the entire package. Now, we can run some of the quarterback stuff, the Wildcat stuff, we could run some of the traditional stuff. Obviously, it opens up a plethora of things that wouldn’t make sense, competitively, to get into right now.”

Why has Penn State historically recruited Maryland so well?

“To be honest, if you look, Penn State’s recruited that area for a long time really well,” Franklin said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for young men that want to leave their area and do something different but don’t get too far from home. Obviously, we’ve been able to continue that. And then obviously, between my relationships in the state of Maryland, was the recruiting coordinator at the University of Maryland for a long time. My relationships, I’ve recruited [Prince George’s] County, DC, and Maryland for a long time, including Pennsylvania. And then the same with my staff.

“I got a number of guys, whether it’s Kenny Sanders, who lived in Baltimore and worked for the Ravens, I can go on and on; we got a ton of work relationships. And I think that’s what it really comes down to. I mean, you look at McDonough. Why have we been so successful at McDonough? Well, PJ Mustipher came and had a great experience. And at the end of the day, if high school coaches and players come here and they have a good experience, and they tell their buddies that, then it lends to more guys wanting to come. So, that’s really what it comes down to is, just long, proven relationships.”

Can forced turnovers be predicted?

“No,” Franklin said. “I wish I could predict that we get seven each weekend. Or, I would predict that every week. No, I mean, obviously there’s teams where you look and they’ve done a really good job of protecting the football on tape. There’s other teams that you look, statistically, and they’ve done a good job of protecting the football. But, then you watch the tape, and you don’t know, if, necessarily, the tape aligns with that. They’ve just been fortunate, they’ve gotten away with it.

“So I wouldn’t describe it the way you would. But yeah, I think each week you sit here and say ‘okay, this team, based on the film, and the data, shows that there’s going to be some opportunities for us to make some plays on the ball, and we need to.’ But I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as predict, if I answered what you’re asking.”

Did the Indiana win galvanize the team?

“I guess where we’re different is, and I get it, the fans and the media that cover Penn State football, you’re totally focused on us,” Franklin said. “And I get it. But, there’s just so many examples. I mean, there’s teams that are ranked at number one, number two, number three team in the country, and they struggle to get a win. And no one kind of talks about that. But when we struggle to get a win, or it’s not as pretty, then everybody’s, like, overly concerned, in my opinion. It’s a long season. You’re not going to dominate every single week. You got to find ways to win, however you do it. And then you got to learn from the wins and you got to learn from the challenges, and you got to learn from the setbacks and be very honest and transparent with yourself and your team.

“But I also think it’s important to put in perspective; every Sunday, I put up on a PowerPoint slide, I never come in and say it to you guys, because I think if I say those things, it’s going to be looked at as a slight to another program, which I don’t mean it as. But, I think there were three programs this week ranked in the top 17 in the country that lost to unranked opponents. And then when we don’t play as well, people think we should, but still win, I’m not going to get into that. I’m not going to apologize for winning. So I get it, and I get the question.

Penn State practice notes: Offense

“I think throughout the season, I think you need to become stronger throughout the entire season, based on your experiences, the successes, the setbacks, the adversity, the challenges, all of it. It’s experiences for these young guys and for our staff, to continue to kind of learn, and grow, and evolve, and see who we are, and use that to get better as fuel, in a lot of different ways. So I understand the question. But to me, it’s a season that’s going to look very different each week based on a lot of factors. Home, away, weather, environment. matchups. There’s going to be a team where you say, on paper, you’re supposed to be worse are supposed to be better, and the game doesn’t play out that way because you got matchups that are in your favor or not in your favor. So there’s just so many things that kind of go into it.”

Why does James Franklin think, as he said on Tuesday, that no one cares about the emotional and physical tolls of a game, week, or season?

“I think, first of all, again, I don’t really want to get into this,” Franklin said. “But to try to answer your question the best that possibly can, ;et’s be honest: We all know. There’s examples. We’re going through an example of it right now. As much as, at Penn State, that we value education, the complete experience, well-rounded student-athletes, the well-rounded individual, society from every direction, is telling you that it’s win and win at all costs, and, that’s all that matters.

“And, to be honest with you, you guys see examples of it every single day. And you’re a part of it. I’m a part of it, too. It’s mixed messages. And as a society, it’s become more and more of that. And, I mean, there’s a ton of examples of it right now. So my point is, all that other stuff that you’re talking about, is it real? Yes. Does anybody want to hear it from me? No. And to me, I think there’s just a ton of examples. And, in some ways, it’s sad that if you’re winning, none of that other stuff matters. And, the opposite is also true.”